{"id":5823,"date":"2024-08-19T01:00:24","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T23:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=5823"},"modified":"2024-08-12T02:35:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T00:35:37","slug":"if-one-simply-goes-through-the-motions-of-confession-without-being-penetrated-by-the-feelings-of-contrition-one-has-done-nothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/?p=5823","title":{"rendered":"IF ONE SIMPLY GOES THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF CONFESSION WITHOUT BEING PENETRATED BY THE FEELINGS OF CONTRITION, ONE HAS DONE NOTHING"},"content":{"rendered":"

Father Jean Viala had been part of the community preaching a parish mission in Greasque, France. Eugene was overjoyed by the news he was receiving of its success. One of the tangible signs of the success of any mission was measured by the numbers of people who came to confession.<\/h3>\n

I congratulate you for the good which, by the grace of God, you have already achieved and for that which you still have to do. I recommend that you insist a good deal on the instruction and on the state of mind necessary for the sacrament of Penance. This is the really important point. If one simply goes through the motions of confession without being penetrated by the feelings of contrition which must be present if the salutary effect of absolution is to be obtained, one has done nothing.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

This is always my fear when I hear our missionaries say that they have confessed a phenomenal number of penitents. I have never managed, by a long way, to achieve the numbers quoted by our Fathers. Regret and firm purpose of amendment.<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Letter to Fr. Jean Viala, 17 January 1849, EO IV n4<\/em><\/h3>\n

REFLECTION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Oblate Missionaries laid much importance to the ministry of reconciliation as the first Oblate Rule of 1818 stated:<\/h3>\n

“The work begun in the pulpit has to be completed in the tribunal of penance. If grace has touched a soul by the strength of the Word of God, ordinarily it is in the tribunal of penance that grace moulds and justifies it.<\/h3>\n

Preaching, indeed, has no other end than to lead sinners to the pool of salvation\u2026<\/h3>\n

It is beyond all doubt that the hearing of confessions is to be preferred to preaching, when there is room for choice, because the private direction and admonition given in the tribunal of penance may in a measure supply the place of instruction and preaching, whereas preaching can never take the place of the sacrament of penance, which was instituted by Christ our Lord for restoring men to the friendship of God.” (1818 Rule, Chapter 3, \u00a72)<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Father Jean Viala had been part of the community preaching a parish mission in Greasque, France. Eugene was overjoyed by the news he was receiving of its success. One of the tangible signs of the success of any mission was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5823\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eugenedemazenod.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}